Quick Definition
an apostle, a messenger, an envoy, a delegate
Strong's Definition
a delegate; specially, an ambassador of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ ("apostle") (with miraculous powers)
Derivation: from G649 (ἀποστέλλω);
KJV Usage: apostle, messenger, he that is sent
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
ἀπόστολος, ἀποστόλου, ὁ;
1. a delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders (Herodotus 1, 21; 5, 38; for ωΘΡμεΜηΗ in 1Ki_14:6 (Alex.); rabbinical ωΐΡμΔιηΗ): Joh_13:16 (where ὁ ἀπόστολος and ὁ πέμψας αὐτόν are contrasted); followed by a genitive, as τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, 2Co_8:23; Php_2:25; ἀπόστολον ... τῆς ὁμολογίας ἡμῶν the apostle whom we confess, of Christ, God's chief messenger, who has brought the κλῆσις ἀπουρανιος, as compared with Moses, whom the Jews confess, Heb_3:1.
2. Specially applied to the twelve disciples whom Christ selected, out of the multitude of his adherents, to be his constant companions and the heralds to proclaim to men the kingdom of God: Mat_10:1-4; Luk_6:13; Act_1:26; Rev_21:14, and often, but nowhere in the Gospel and Epistles of John; ("the word ἀπόστολος occurs 79 times in the N. T., and of these 68 instances are in St. Luke and St. Paul." Lightfoot). With these apostles Paul claimed equality, because through a heavenly intervention he had been appointed by the ascended Christ himself to preach the gospel among the Gentiles, and owed his knowledge of the way of salvation not to man's instruction but to direct revelation from Christ himself, and moreover had evinced his apostolic qualifications by many signal proofs: Gal_1:1; Gal_1:11; Gal_2:8; 1Co_1:17; 1Co_9:1; 1Co_15:8-10; 2Co_3:2 ff; 2Co_12:12; 1Ti_2:7; 2Ti_1:11, cf. Act_26:12-20. According to Paul, apostles surpassed as well the various other orders of Christian teachers (cf. διδάσκαλος, εὐαγγελιστής, προφήτης), as also the rest of those on whom the special gifts (cf. χάρισμα) of the Holy Spirit had been bestowed, by receiving a richer and more copious conferment of the Spirit: 1Co_12:28; Eph_4:11. Certain false teachers are rated sharply for arrogating to themselves the name and authority of apostles of Christ: 2Co_11:5; 2Co_11:13; Rev_2:2.
3. In a broader sense the name is transferred to other eminent Christian teachers; as Barnabas, Act_14:14, and perhaps also Timothy and Silvanus, 1Th_2:7 (6), cf. too Rom_16:7 (?). But in Luk_11:49; Eph_3:5; Rev_18:20, 'apostles' is to be taken in the narrower sense. (On the application of the term see especially Lightfoot on Galatians, pp. 92-101; Harnack, on 'Teaching etc. 11, 3 [ET]; cf. BB. DD. under the word)
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
ἀπόστολος apostolos 80x
one sent as a messenger or agent, the bearer of a commission, messenger, Joh_13:16 ;
an apostle, Mat_10:2 apostle; delegate; messenger; send.
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
ἀπόσολος , -ου , ὁ
( < ἀοστέλλω ),
[in LXX ; 1Ki_14:6 A ( H7971 ) * ;]
1. a fleet, an expedition (Dem.).
2. a messenger, one sent on a mission ( Hdt ., LXX , l.c ., and Papyri; v . M , Pr., 37 f .; MM , s.v. ; M , Th ., i, 2:7 and reff.): Joh_13:16 , 2Co_8:23 Php_2:25 .
3. In NT, an Apostle of Christ
(a) with special ref. to the Twelve: Mat_10:2 , Mar_3:14 , Luk_11:49 , Eph_3:5 , Rev_18:20 , al. , equality with whom is claimed by St. Paul, Gal_1:1 ; Gal_1:11 ff , 1Ti_2:7 , a1.;
(b) in a wider sense of prominent Christian teachers, as Barnabas, Act_14:14 , apparently also Silvanus and Timothy, 1Th_2:6 , and perhaps Andronicus and Junias (Junia?), Rom_16:7 ( v . ICC , in l ); of false teachers, claiming apostleship: 2Co_11:5 ; 2Co_11:13 , Rev_2:2 . (On the different uses of the term in NT, v. Lit ., Gal., 92-101; Cremer , 530; DB , i, 126; DCG , i, 105; Enc. Br., ii, 196 ff .)
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
ἀπόστολος [page 70]
It is not easy to point to an adequate parallel for the NT usage of this important word, but it may be noted that in Herod. i. 21 (cf. v. 38) it is found = messenger, envoy, and with the same meaning in LXX 3 Regn 14 .6 Α ἐγώ εἰμι ἀπόστολος πρὸς σὲ σκληρός , cf. Symm. Isa_18:2 . Reference may also be made to the interesting fragment in P Par p. 411 f. (B.C. 191), where, if we can accept the editor s restoration of the missing letters, we read of a public official who had sent to a delinquent a messenger bearing the orders he had disregarded ἐπεσ ]ταλκότων ἡμῶν πρός σε τὸν ἀπ [όστολον ]. Cf. also a lexical extract cited by Nδgeli, p. 23, ὁ ἐκπεμπόμενος μετὰ στρατιᾶς καὶ παρασκευῆς ἀπόστολος καλεῖται : this is interesting as being coloured with the association found in Attic, though applied to a person.
Apart from its use in Attic inscriptions, as Syll 153 (B.C. 325) = fleet, naval expedition, ἀπόστολος is used for a ship in P Oxy III. 522 (ii/A.D.). In this document (cf. also P Tebt II. 486, ii/iii A.D.), which is an account of the expenses of corn-transport, it is of interest to notice that each ἀπόστολος is known by the name of its owner, e.g. λόγος ἀποστόλου Τριαδέλφου , account for the ship of Triadelphus. In P Oxy IX. 1197 .13 (A.D. 211) a different sense is required ὁπόταν τὰ ἐξ ἀποστόλων πλοῖα παραγένηται , where Hunt renders, whenever the boats collected in accordance with the orders of lading arrive, and cites P Amh II. 138 .10 (A.D. 326) (as amended by Mitteis, Chrest. II., p. 391) ἐ ]ξ ἀποστόλου τῆς τάξεως , where a ship-master embarks certain loads in accordance with the bill of lading of the Officium, also P Lond 256( a ) .10 (A.D. 15) (= II., p. 99) ἀκολούθως τῷ [18 letters]ου ἀποστόλῳ , and CPHerm 6 .11 f. (cf. Wilcken Chrest. I., p. 522) ἐπ [εὶ ο ]ἱ σοὶ ἐπίτροπο [ι τοὺς καλο ]υμένους ἀποστόλους [. . .. . . δι᾽ ὧν κελεύειν α [ὐτο ]ῖς ἔθος [τὴν ] τοῦ σείτου ἐμ [β ]ο [λὴν ποιεῖσ ]ται ( l. -θαι ). In P Oxy X. 1259 .10 (A.D. 211 2) ἐξ ἀποστόλου τοῦ κρατίστου ἐπιτρόπου τῆς Νέας πόλεως in accordance with the message of his excellency (Edd.), the noun seems to be more general; but the papyrus concerns the shipment of corn to Alexandria. See further Archiv iii. p. 221 f. Since in early times the non-specialized and etymological meaning is found in Herodotus, and the other only in Attic writers, we see in the NT use the influence of Ionic on the Κοινή : cf. Proleg. pp. 37, 81.
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
ἀπόστολος [Etym: ἀποστέλλω] "a messenger, ambassador, envoy", Hdt. "a sacred messenger, an Apostle", NTest. = στόλος, "a naval squadron or expedition", Dem. , etc.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
ἀπόστολος, -ου, ὁ
(ἀοστέλλω), [in LXX; 3Ki.14:6 A (שָׁלַח) * ;]
__1. a fleet, an expedition (Dem.).
__2. a messenger, one sent on a mission (Hdt., LXX, l.with, and π.; see M, Pr., 37 f.; MM, see word; M, Th., i, 2:7 and reff.): Jhn.13:16, 2Co.8:23 Php.2:25.
__3. In NT, an Apostle of Christ
__(a) with special ref. to the Twelve: Mat.10:2, Mrk.3:14, Luk.11:49, Eph.3:5, Rev.18:20, al., equality with whom is claimed by St. Paul, Gal.1:1, 11 ff, 1Ti.2:7, a1.;
__(b) in a wider sense of prominent Christian teachers, as Barnabas, Act.14:14, apparently also Silvanus and Timothy, 1Th.2:6, and perhaps Andronicus and Junias (Junia?), Rom.16:7 (see ICC, in l); of false teachers, claiming apostleship: 2Co.11:5 11:13, Rev.2:2. (On the different uses of the term in NT, see Lit., Gal., 92-101; Cremer, 530; DB, i, 126; DCG, i, 105; Enc. Br., ii, 196 ff.)
(AS)
📖 In-Depth Word Study
Apostle (652) apostolos; or here
Apostle (652) (apostolos [word study] from apostello = send in turn from apo = off from + stello = send) (Click for another discussion) which literally means "sent one".
Apostolos was a technical word designating an individual sent from someone else with the sender's commission, the necessary credentials, the sender's authority and the implicit responsibility to accomplish a mission or assignment.
Secular Greek writer Demosthenes gives a word picture of "apostolos" noting that it was used to describe a cargo ship sent out with a load. Demosthenes also described a naval fleet as "apostles" sent out to accomplish a mission.
Apostolos - 80x in 79v - Matt 10:2; Mark 3:14; 6:30; Luke 6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10; John 13:16; Acts 1:2, 26; 2:37, 42f; 4:33, 35ff; 5:2, 12, 18, 29, 40; 6:6; 8:1, 14, 18; 9:27; 11:1; 14:4, 14; 15:2, 4, 6, 22f; 16:4; Rom 1:1; 11:13; 16:7; 1 Cor 1:1; 4:9; 9:1f, 5; 12:28f; 15:7, 9; 2 Cor 1:1; 8:23; 11:5, 13; 12:11f; Gal 1:1, 17, 19; Eph 1:1; 2:20; 3:5; 4:11; Phil 2:25; Col 1:1; 1 Thess 2:7; 1 Tim 1:1; 2:7; 2 Tim 1:1, 11; Titus 1:1; Heb 3:1; 1 Pet 1:1; 2 Pet 1:1; 3:2; Jude 1:17; Rev 2:2; 18:20; 21:14. NAS = apostle(19), apostles(52), apostles'(5), messenger(1), messengers(1), is sent(1).
The English word "ambassador" is a good translation of apostolos because an ambassador is
an official envoy of high rank appointed by one of higher rank and authority in the government to represent and transact its business at the seat of government of some other power.
Paul thought of himself as an ambassador of the King of kings, sent by Him to the Gentiles with credentials (miracles he performed) and the commission,
to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me (Acts 26:17, 18)
To reemphasize the word apostle as Paul uses it here does not merely refer to one who has a message to announce, but to an appointed representative with an official status who is provided with the credentials of his office. Apostle is also used once to describe Jesus Christ the Sent from the Father (Heb 3:1-note; John 20:21).
Paul apparently wrote while he was in prison at Rome (Col 4:18-note) and sent the letter to them by Tychicus (Col 4:7-note), by whom he also sent the Ephesian letter, presumably at the same time (Ep 6:21, 22-note), as well as the letter to Philemon.
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN
EPHESIANS AND COLOSSIANS
Eph 1:1
Eph 1:2
Eph 1:3
Eph 1:7
Eph 1:10
Eph 1:15-17
Eph 1:18
Eph 1:21
Eph 1:22
Eph 2:1,12
Eph 2:5
Eph 2:15
Eph 2:16
Eph 3:1
Eph 3:2
Eph 3:3
Eph 3:7
Eph 3:8
Eph 4:1
Eph 4:2
Eph 4:3
Eph 4:15
Eph 4:19
Eph 4:22
Eph 4:25
Eph 4:29
Eph 4:31
Eph 4:32
Eph 5:3
Eph 5:4
Eph 5:5
Eph 5:6
Eph 5:15
Eph 5:19
Eph 5:21
Eph 5:25
Eph 6:1
Eph 6:4
Eph 6:5
Eph 6:9
Eph 6:18
Eph 6:21 Col 1:1
Col 1:2
Col 1:3
Col 1:14
Col 1:20
Col 1:3, 4
Col 1:27
Col 1:16
Col 1:18
Col 1:21
Col 2:13
Col 2:14
Col 1:20
Col 1:24
Col 1:25
Col 1:26
Col 1:23, 25
Col 1:27
Col 1:10
Col 3:12
Col 3:14
Col 2:19
Col 3:1, 5
Col 3:8
Col 3:8
Col 3:8; 4:6
Col 3:8
Col 3:12
Col 3:5
Col 3:8
Col 3:5
Col 3:6
Col 4:5
Col 3:16
Col 3:18
Col 3:19
Col 3:20
Col 3:21
Col 3:22
Col 4:1
Col 4:2
Col 4:7
BY THE WILL OF GOD: dia thelematos theou: (Ro 1:1-note; 1Co 1:1 2Co 1:1, Ep 1:1-note, 2Ti 1:1-note)
By (1223) (dia) is the Greek preposition dia, which means "through" and in this context describes that which "intervenes between the act of the will and the effect and through which the effect proceeds" (Zodhiates). Stated another way, dia describes the channel (God' will is the channel) of the act (Paul's appointment as an apostle). The will of God is the means by which Paul had become an apostle.